Get me out of here: Mauro Zarate is desperate to quit Lazio (Picture: Getty)

Tottenham have expressed an interest in Lazio rebel Mauro Zarate and hope to sign the troubled striker on a free at the end of the season.

Zarate has only made one appearance for Lazio this term and is currently locked in a long-running battle with the club over his future.

The Argentine ace is desperate to have his contract cancelled by mutual consent so he can change clubs, but the Serie A outfit are refusing to meet his demands.

Lazio want up to £5million for Zarate, but with the player increasingly becoming a divisive figure in the dressing room, they are ready to consider releasing him.

Happier times: Zarate was a hero at Birmingham in 2008 (Picture: Getty)

The news will delight Tottenham, with Andre Villas-Boas said to have asked to be kept updated with the dispute as he considers offering the 26-year-old another opportunity to play in England.

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Zarate had a successful loan spell with Birmingham City in 2008, scoring four goals in 14 matches and bagging a hatful of assists, and Spurs believe he could be a useful addition.

Able to play up front or out wide, the technical forward would pick up large wages at White Hart Lane, but given that he is likely to be available for free at the end of the season, Villa-Boas will have no qualms with offering him a one-year-deal.

Sunderland and a host of Argentine sides are also interested in Zarate, with his agent known to be speaking to up to seven different sides.